Battle of the River Diyala

The Battle of the River Diyala occurred in 693 BC during the Neo-Assyrian Empire's war against Elam.

In 694 BC, the Elamites backed the deposed Babylonian king Marduk-apla-iddina II's restoration to power at the expense of the Assyrian king Sennacherib's son Ashur-nadin-shumi, the Assyrian puppet king of Babylon. In retaliation, Sennacherib took a fleet of Phoenician ships down the Tigris River to destroy the Elamite base on the shore of the Persian Gulf. However, the Elamites were able to place Marduk-apla-iddina's son Nergal-ushezib on the throne of Babylon in the meantime.

In 693 BC, Sennacherib led a counterattack, capturing Nergal-ushezib and taking him back to Nineveh. Sennacherib attacked Elam again, and, that same year, the two armies met on the River Diyala. The battle began as the Assyrian chariots on the left flank of Sennacherib's army clashed with the advancing Elamite chariots, and Sennacherib then divided his army into sections which would attack the Elamites in clusters. While the fighting was tough on the left flank, the Assyrians prevailed on the right flank, and they pursued the Elamites and cut many of them down. The Elamites then wheeled around to the left flank, where the Elamites were closed in upon from two sides and vanquished. This victory led to the Elamites failing to extend their power beyond the boundaries of Mesopotamia, and Sennacherib proceeded to plunder the Elamite kingdom. However, as soon as he withdrew, the Elamites placed Mushezib-Marduk on the Babylonian throne, leading to another rebellion which led to Babylon's destruction in 689 BC.